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Feb

28

2017

$5 Single Hand Games vs $1 Triple Play in Video Poker

Sizing your bets properly and making sure you don’t overbet your bankroll are important parts of playing any casino game. Sometimes there are tax considerations, too. A video poker player wrote to me recently to ask advice on playing $5 single-hand games vs. $1 Triple Play. Those games are out of my own range. I shop for the best pay tables and stick to quarters and occasionally dollars on single-hand games, and keep it on quarters on Triple Play or Five Play. But this reader was wavering between Double Double Bonus Poker options, with the same pay table on $5…

Sizing your bets properly and making sure you don’t overbet your bankroll are important parts of playing any casino game. Sometimes there are tax considerations, too. A video poker player wrote to me recently to ask advice on playing $5 single-hand games vs. $1 Triple Play. Those games are out…

Feb

24

2017

Mini Royal Payoffs in Three Card Poker

Three Card Poker was designed with straight flushes as the highest paying hands. In the extraordinarily rare situation of you and the dealer both having a straight flush, the ante-play bet would be decided by the higher-ranking cards. But usually, Pair Plus and ante bonus payoffs are the same regardless of whether your straight flush is Ace-King-Queen or 2-3-4. The exceptions are at casinos that offer a bigger payoff on mini-royals – Ace, King, Queen of the same suit. A reader emailed me to say he’d seen a table where the Pair Plus bet paid 50-1 on a mini-royal as…

Three Card Poker was designed with straight flushes as the highest paying hands. In the extraordinarily rare situation of you and the dealer both having a straight flush, the ante-play bet would be decided by the higher-ranking cards. But usually, Pair Plus and ante bonus payoffs are the same regardless…

Feb

21

2017

Why is There a Higher Payback on $1 Slots than Penny Slots?

As long as I’ve been paying attention – and this goes back to the 1980s – slot players have been told that higher denomination slots pay back a higher percentage than lower denominations. Statistical reports in various U.S. jurisdictions have long shown the pattern: $5 slots pay more than $1 slots, which pay more than quarters, which pay more than nickels, which pay more than pennies. That doesn’t mean you should rush right out and play $5 games. The difference in risk is important, and you average more money in losses per spin on $5 games than on dollars, quarters…

As long as I’ve been paying attention – and this goes back to the 1980s – slot players have been told that higher denomination slots pay back a higher percentage than lower denominations. Statistical reports in various U.S. jurisdictions have long shown the pattern: $5 slots pay more than $1…

Feb

09

2017

To Follow or Not to Follow Basic Strategy in Blackjack

Basic strategy charts tell blackjack players the play that’s best for them in every player vs. dealer situation. Those who count cards amend basic strategy to fit the composition of the remaining deck, but for most of us, basic strategy is a solid guide. That doesn’t mean every player has to like every play. Recently, I was at a table where a player just couldn’t bring himself to double down on 11 when the dealer’s face up card was a 10 value. The first time he faced the decision with a $25 bet on the table, he said, “Oh, I…

Basic strategy charts tell blackjack players the play that’s best for them in every player vs. dealer situation. Those who count cards amend basic strategy to fit the composition of the remaining deck, but for most of us, basic strategy is a solid guide. That doesn’t mean every player has…

Feb

01

2017

Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration

This year the state of Mississippi celebrates an important milestone in its history with the 200th anniversary of its statehood. The state will celebrate with regional bicentennial celebrations and local events. These events will help honor the people, places, music and food, as well as achievements in agriculture, science, industry, sports, arts and writing.  For a full listing of bicentennial events click here. 

This year the state of Mississippi celebrates an important milestone in its history with the 200th anniversary of its statehood. The state will celebrate with regional bicentennial celebrations and local events. These events will help honor the people, places, music and food, as well as achievements in agriculture, science, industry,…